During lunch break the next day, Saeki Kaori stopped Shiraki Rie, who was on her way to the Library, in the hallway. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the fine dust in the air.
"Shiraki-san, please wait a moment." Saeki wore a seemingly friendly smile.
Shiraki Rie stopped her steps, her cold eyes looking at Saeki Kaori with a hint of doubt. She didn't have much of a favorable impression of the founder of the newly established Occult Research Society. "Is something the matter, Saeki-san?"
"It's like this," Saeki Kaori got straight to the point. "We've newly established the Occult Research Society, dedicated to exploring... phenomena and knowledge that transcend common sense. I think Shiraki-san has a unique aura and might be interested in these things, so I'd like to invite you to join."
Shiraki Rie's brow furrowed slightly as she refused directly: "Sorry, I'm not interested in those things." She turned to leave.
"Wait!" Saeki Kaori quickly called out to her, changing the subject and asking in a lowered voice: "Also, I wanted to ask you about someone... do you know Minase Taki?"
"Minase?" Shiraki Rie thought for a moment and shook her head, her tone flat. "I don't know him. Which class is he in?" She had no impression of that boy who had once tried to cast a spell on her but was like a clown; she hadn't even remembered his name.
Saeki Kaori carefully observed Shiraki's expression, confirming she didn't seem to be faking. The doubt in her heart deepened. (She doesn't know him? Mizunurai clearly had designs on her... Could his magic really be so clumsy that he couldn't even make someone remember him?) Mizunurai's disappearance was like a thorn in her heart.
A more terrifying thought surfaced. (Mizunurai's disappearance... this book Lord Kanjuro gave me... could it be...) She didn't dare think further and forced herself to calm down.
She put on a worried expression and said to Shiraki Rie, "If you don't know him, then forget it. However, Classmate Shiraki, there's something I want to remind you of. Once in class, I saw you suddenly look a bit dazed, as if something wasn't quite right... I suspect that someone might have used a kind of... well, something in the realm of mysticism, a mind-affecting magic on you."
Hearing this, a ripple finally appeared on Shiraki Rie's cold face. She vaguely remembered having a momentary sense of abnormality, but it had quickly vanished.
Seeing her interest piqued, Saeki Kaori continued, "And at that time, I noticed Kanjuro-kun seemed to do something, and you quickly returned to normal. It's possible he helped you unintentionally."
"Kanjuro?" Shiraki Rie was stunned for a moment. That mysterious and dazzling Kanjuro, who was always surrounded by different girls? He would help her? This came as quite a surprise to her. She silently noted the name and Saeki's words, then nodded: "Thank you for telling me, Classmate Saeki." Her tone remained distant, but there was a hint of contemplation in her eyes.
Failing to persuade Shiraki, Saeki Kaori was not discouraged. She turned her target toward Yukinoshita Yukino, Yui Yuigahama, and Miura Yumiko, who were close to Kanjuro. In her view, if she could pull these three highly influential "princesses" of the school into the society, it would be of great benefit both to the club's reputation and to any plans potentially involving Kanjuro.
She found the three beauties, issued the same invitation, and subtly mentioned that the society might come into contact with "true and actual supernatural powers."
Yukinoshita Yukino's ice-blue eyes remained calm and still, Yui Yuigahama blinked her large eyes, and Miura Yumiko crossed her arms with a haughty attitude. They exchanged a look.
"We will consider it," Yukino gave a standard and vague reply on behalf of the three.
Saeki Kaori knew she couldn't rush it, so she smiled and left.
In the evening, on the rooftop of the school building after classes, there was a secluded sky garden.
Yukinoshita Yukino, Yui Yuigahama, and Miura Yumiko found Kanjuro, who was leisurely overlooking the campus from there.
"Dad," Yui Yuigahama was the first to speak, her tone filled with concern, "Saeki Kaori invited us to join her Occult Research Society today. Does this... have something to do with the power of your dark bible?"
Kanjuro turned around and looked at his three "daughters," who were connected to him by blood and complex relationships. He didn't hide it, nodding and admitting in a calm tone: "Yes, it's related."
Under their searching gazes, he continued, his tone carrying a rare hint of what could be called "softness": "I need that research society, and Saeki Kaori as a person, to complete a ritual. A ritual... to save Reika Kitami."
All three knew about the eighteen-year entanglement between Reika Kitami and Kanjuro, and they also knew that Teacher Kitami's current state was very poor. They were even more aware of what a cold and calculating existence their father/lover was, someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
However, hearing him say directly that it was to "save someone," the hearts of the three young girls couldn't help but tremble slightly.
A flicker of complexity passed through Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes; she had always hoped Kanjuro could change, even if just a little. Yui Yuigahama simply felt that helping others was a good thing. Although Miura Yumiko didn't say it, deep down she also felt a sliver of sympathy for Teacher Kitami, who always carried a melancholic air.
(Dad... he's actually doing this to save someone this time?)
(Is Dad Kanjuro going to do something good?)
(Hmph, finally doing something decent.)
The tiny wish they had always held for Kanjuro to "become good" was ignited at this moment. They were moved by Kanjuro's seemingly "noble" purpose.
"So," Yukino took a deep breath and made the decision for the three of them, "we need to cooperate with you and join that research society, right?"
Kanjuro looked at the light of "goodness" burning in their eyes; his heart felt no ripples, and he even found it somewhat laughable, but he wore a smile of approval on his face: "Yes. With you inside the research society, things will go much more smoothly."
"We understand." Yui Yuigahama nodded vigorously, a determined smile on her face, "We'll help Dad! And we'll help Teacher Kitami too!"
Miura Yumiko also gave a reluctant "Mm" in agreement.
Watching his three daughters willingly cooperate with him for the sake of a false goal of "redemption," a barely perceptible, profound curve hooked at the corner of Kanjuro's mouth.
(Truly... naively cute.)
He had successfully brought important pawns under his control once again. And the preparation of the sacrifices had entered a new stage. Because of the "joining" of Yukino and the other two, Saeki Kaori's society would surely attract more ignorant "moths" to fly toward this dangerous flame he had personally ignited.
The sunset painted the sky in warm shades of orange and pink, and students leaving school swarmed out of the gates like birds returning to their nests. Kanjuro walked alone on the way back to his apartment, his leisurely posture standing out from the slightly hurried crowd around him.
"Kanjuro-kun, please wait a moment."
A cold and slightly hesitant voice sounded behind him.
Kanjuro stopped and slowly turned around. What met his eyes was Shiraki Rie's delicate face, which always carried a sense of distance. She stood a few steps away, the setting sun coating her with a layer of soft light, though it failed to melt the frost in her eyes.
"Classmate Shiraki?" Kanjuro showed a perfectly timed look of "surprise" on his face, his tone gentle, "Is something the matter?"
Shiraki Rie stepped forward, looking up at him slightly, her clear eyes holding a hint of subtle inquiry and seriousness: "I wanted to ask you something. Before... in class, was there a time I suddenly felt very unwell and dazed? I heard... that you helped me?"
Kanjuro's brow arched slightly as if he were "astonished," and then he smiled. The smile looked exceptionally handsome in the sunset: "Oh? How did you find out about that?" He neither admitted nor denied it, instead throwing the question back at her.
"Classmate Saeki told me." Shiraki Rie told him the truth, observing Kanjuro's expression as she continued, "She said I might have been under some... bad wicked spell at the time, and you were the one who saved me. Is that true?"
Hearing this, Kanjuro nodded gently, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather: "Classmate Saeki is certainly observant. That's right, that did happen. Seeing that you weren't in a good state and knowing a few little tricks to deal with it, I just lent a hand in passing." He spoke of a magical attack that could have endangered her mind as if it were a trivial little trouble.
Even though Kanjuro spoke lightly, Shiraki Rie recalled Saeki Kaori's serious tone and her own momentary, uncontrollable sense of abnormality, and she knew the matter was by no means as simple as "little tricks." Looking at Kanjuro's calm demeanor, a genuine feeling of gratitude welled up within her. She had always been one to clearly distinguish between favors and grudges.
"So it really was you..." Shiraki Rie's tone softened a bit, and she gave a solemn, slight bow toward Kanjuro, "Thank you very much, Kanjuro-kun. If it weren't for you, the consequences might have been unthinkable."
Kanjuro accepted her thanks graciously, and after she straightened up, he said slowly, "There's no need to be so polite, Classmate Shiraki. It was just a small favor." His tone shifted as his gaze fell on her cheek, which was tinted warm by the sunset, and he offered a friendly invitation, "However, since you've come all this way to thank me... just saying it doesn't seem sincere enough, does it?"
Shiraki Rie was slightly taken aback, not understanding what he meant.
With a faint smile playing on his lips, Kanjuro took a step forward, closing the distance between them, his voice low and magnetic: "I don't have anything to do anyway. How about it? Shall I treat you to a cup of coffee? Consider it... my way of accepting your formal thanks, how about it?"
This proposal was somewhat beyond Shiraki Rie's expectations. Her personality was cold, and she didn't like too much contact with others, especially a boy like Kanjuro with such a complex background and many rumors. But at this moment, facing her "benefactor" and seeing his natural and generous attitude, if she were to flatly refuse, it would instead make her seem petty and ungrateful.
She hesitated for a moment, looking into Kanjuro's eyes, which seemed to hold the golden fragments of the sunset and a hint of a smile. Finally, she nodded, her cold voice revealing a trace of subtle softening: "Okay. Then... I'll trouble Kanjuro-kun."
"It's no trouble. It's my honor to have coffee with the top student, Classmate Shiraki." Kanjuro smiled and made a gentlemanly "after you" gesture.
The two walked side by side toward a stylish cafe near the school.
The sunset stretched their shadows, which occasionally merged. Shiraki Rie maintained a certain distance, her expression still cold, but the tension at the corners of her mouth seemed to have softened slightly. As for Kanjuro, he looked perfectly at ease, as if he were merely engaging in a most ordinary after-school social interaction.
·· 0 Flowers 0 --- He had successfully and gently pulled another "bystander," who was originally uninvolved, onto the edge of the spiderweb he was weaving.
The time it took to drink a cup of coffee was enough for him to sow many seeds. And Shiraki Rie's subtle trust, born of gratitude, might become an unexpected pawn in the future.
Kanjuro brought Shiraki Rie to the familiar "yukuro" cafe. The antique bell gave a crisp ring as the door was pushed open, and the warm light and mellow aroma of coffee greeted them. This place held many memories of his "pre-marital" days with Yukinoshita Haruno, but now it welcomed a new "guest."
"Welcome... Ah, it's Lord Kanjuro."
A gentle yet capable female voice rang out.
Standing behind the counter was a young girl in a modified maid outfit with an outstanding temperament. She had smooth, silver-white long hair, and her azure eyes were like peaceful lakes. Her features were exquisite and beautiful, and her movements were elegant and proper—she was none other than the Student Council president of the neighboring Sora Academy, Kagawa Kuroe.
She worked part-time at this cafe, partly to experience life and partly because of some inexplicable, mysterious attraction that made her unconsciously want to be near this place, and... near this mysterious youth named Kanjuro.
She did not know that flowing through her body was the very bloodline inherited from the union with dark power, born of the woman in the sacrificial ritual Kanjuro had conducted eighteen years ago.
"Kuroe, so it's your shift today." Kanjuro gave her a familiar and gentle smile, though a light flashed deep in his eyes that only he understood—the look one gives to a possession... "Yes, Lord Kanjuro. And for this classmate, please sit here." Kagawa Kuroe maintained a perfect service-style smile as she led the two to a quiet window seat. She keenly felt that this cold girl beside Kanjuro had a different temperament from those he usually brought (like Yukinoshita Haruno or Yui Yuigahama and the others), and she couldn't help but feel a tiny ripple in her heart that even she couldn't explain. She quietly kept an eye on the situation over there.
Kanjuro ordered a Caramel Macchiato for Shiraki Rie and a black coffee for himself.
At first, Shiraki Rie was still a bit stiff, her hands placed neatly on her knees, and her answers to Kanjuro's questions were mostly short "yes" or "no."
But how brilliant were Kanjuro's conversational skills? He skillfully avoided topics that might trigger her alertness and instead talked about literature, music, and even some philosophical discourse that seemed profound but was expressed by him in a simple and interesting way.
He was knowledgeable with unique insights, and his tone was humorous yet deep. Shiraki Rie was gradually drawn in; she found that Kanjuro was not a frivolous person who relied solely on his looks and mystery to attract girls as the rumors said. The wisdom and composure he displayed made her unconsciously let down her guard.
When Kanjuro spoke of a certain interesting anecdote, he even intentionally included some harmless puns and slightly "suggestive" metaphors—metaphors that Yuigahama or Miura would likely understand immediately and even tease him back for.
But Shiraki Rie's reaction was beyond Kanjuro's expectations.
She simply blinked her clear eyes, tilted her head slightly in thought, and then nodded as if having a sudden realization, praising him sincerely: "So it can be understood from that perspective; Kanjuro-kun, your thinking is truly sharp!"
After saying that, she even seemed a bit happy because she felt she had understood his "witticism," her lips curling up slightly to reveal a very rare, faint, and pure smile, as if snow and ice were beginning to melt.
Kanjuro looked at her reaction—completely failing to hear the subtext and instead thinking he had great depth—and couldn't help but be slightly stunned, a strange sense of novelty immediately surging in his heart.
(She... didn't catch it?)
(It's not an act; she really didn't think in that direction.)
(So pure... no, should I say... naive? Or rather, her mind is entirely focused on the academic and rational levels, creating a cognitive blind spot for this kind of subtle adult banter?)
This discovery made Kanjuro find it quite interesting. He had seen too many women who either pretended to be pure, were as passionate as fire, or were calculating in front of him; someone like Shiraki Rie, who was "pure" in the truest sense, like a blank sheet of paper, had instead become a rarity.
A new desire, one called "staining," quietly germinated in his heart.
To dye this blank sheet of paper with his own colors, to make those cold eyes melt only for him, to make that pure mind understand lust because of him... this seemed more fulfilling than direct conquest.
Kuroe was wiping glasses not far away, occasionally looking over to see that the cold girl was actually being made to giggle several times by Kanjuro, her hand covering her mouth. Although her smile was still reserved, those eyes that were always calm and ripple-less indeed held a few more sparks of life. And Lord Kanjuro's gaze toward that girl... carried a kind of interest she was familiar with, like a hunter discovering a novel prey.
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